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Japanese Airlines Ban Next-Gen Handheld Gamers

Filed under General news and Rants, Handheld News, PC News on October 2nd, 2007


Playing wireless hand-held video games on Japanese airplanes no longer will be allowed after a revised law enforcing an earlier ban went into effect Monday. This includes PSP and the DS (but not Laptops) Also wireless computer mice and headphones that are not provided by the airlines have also been banned aboard flights. Battery chargers and toys that give off electronic sounds can’t be used during take-offs and landings, the ministry said.

Hold on here is the Good stuff - The law also has been relaxed to now allow the use of electric razors, calculators and cassette players. (Give me an F-ing break here!! Cassette players, Does anybody even still own one?)

Previously, passengers were only asked by the airlines to refrain from using gaming systems with built-in wireless functions, like Nintendo’s popular DS or Sony’s PSP.

It seems the problem lies with the handhelds’ built-in wireless functions, which, Japan’s transport minister has declared, have the ability to interfere with aircraft navigation systems and well that could be bad. Passengers will still be allowed to play game devices which don’t have wireless functions, so break out your old Game Boy because that’s about all your going to get to play.

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Orcs & Elves Nintendo DS Fact Sheet

Filed under Handheld News on September 28th, 2007

Enter an ancient world where good and evil collide in an epic adventure with Orcs & Elves for Nintendo DS.

The award-winning fantasy RPG mobile game, created by id Software and developed by Fountainhead Entertainment comes to the Nintendo DS, with more levels, weapons and fierce foes.

Orcs & Elves offers a breathtaking dungeon-crawling experience for any fantasy RPG gamer, featuring an Award-winning storyline spanning twelve sprawling levels within an ancient Dwarven kingdom.

As a young half-elf, a player will explore the ancient mountain-citadel of Zharrharag, a massive Dwarven fortress riddled with ancient treasure, powerful weapons, and waves of ruthless enemies.

Gamers can use the DS touch screen to solve devious puzzles, overcome deadly traps and unleash magical powers with an arsenal of arcane items like magic potions, enchanted rings, dragon scale armor and an enchanted wand.

Gamers will find and master thirteen mystical weapons including magical swords, deadly crossbows, and a powerful war hammer as they fight through waves of legendary beasts each with their own tactics and powers. Along the way, players will also befriend unique characters such as an ancient dragon to help them fight their way into the deepest reaches of the mountain fortress on a quest to expel the ultimate evil from the mountain’s core.

  • Explore a Dungeon Teeming with Adventure: Travel through a Dwarven citadel’s twelve massive levels, each riddled with evil forces and ancient treasure.
  • Put your Best RPG Strategies to the Test: Solve devious puzzles, overcome deadly traps, and battle massive forces of foul beasts.
  • Master Unique Weapons and Items: Wield extraordinary weapons including a sentient wand, a powerful warhammer, and magic swords. Use the DS Touch Screen to cast spells and make use of magic potions, enchanted rings, and dragonscale armor.
  • Unravel an Award-Winning Storyline: With over ten hours of handheld gaming, escape to a place of adventure, mystery, and sorcery with Orcs & Elves, the new first-person adventure from id Software and Fountainhead Entertainment.
  • New For the DS: A 3D game engine, new creatures, three new levels, new potions, and four new spells will thrill even the most seasoned adventurer, giving them reason to journey back into Zharrharag.
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Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Gets Dated + Video and Screenshots

Filed under Handheld News, wii on September 27th, 2007

SEGA today revealed details for Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. (One of the worst titles they could have given this game) Produced for the Wii and Nintendo DS systems and includes 20 authentic Olympic events. Using the Wii Remote and Nunchuck control system, players can have an unparalleled interactive experience and compete using one of 16 characters – 8 from the world of Mario and 8 from the world of Sonic.

Get the Flash Player to see the wordTube Media Player.

The Wii controls are created specifically to replicate the actions that offer the best results for each event which include:

  • Fencing – Individual epée
  • Archery
  • Shooting – Skeet
  • Gymnastics - Trampoline
  • Gymnastics - Vault
  • Field - High Jump
  • Field - Pole Vault
  • Field - Long Jump
  • Field - Triple Jump
  • Field – Javelin Throw
  • Field - Hammer Throw
  • Rowing – Single Sculls
  • Table Tennis - Singles
  • Aquatics – 100m Freestyle
  • Aquatics – 4×100m Freestyle
  • Track – 110m and 400m Hurdles
  • Track – 4×100m Relay
  • Track –100m and 400m

The interactive Wii controls include actions like swinging the Wii Remote to simulate hammer throw, notching the Nunchuk to shoot arrows, and replicating swimming strokes. Players can also discover the best way to win a game by experimenting with different movements to discover secret boosts to propel them towards a win.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games will be in-stores across Europe and US on November 23, 2007 for Wii, and Q1 2008 for the Nintendo DS.

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New Spider-Man: Friend or Foe Screens - DS, xbox 360 and Wii

Filed under Handheld News, Xbox, wii on September 10th, 2007

Here are 4 new Spider-Man: Friend or Foe Screens for each platform DS, xbox 360 and the Wii.

Spider-Man_Friend_or_Foe__NDS__-_Doc_Ock__Spider-Man_and_Green_Goblin.jpgSpider-Man_Friend_or_Foe__NDS__-_Spider-Man_Spinning.jpgSpider-Man_Friend_or_Foe__NDS__-_Spider-Man_Rooftop.jpgSpider-Man_Friend_or_Foe__NDS__-_Doc_Ock_Fighting.jpg

Nintendo DS

Spider-Man_Friend_or_Foe__Wii__-_Rhino_Spidey_Jump_Web.jpgSpider-Man_Friend_or_Foe__Wii__-_Rhino_Knock_Down.jpgSpiderman_Friend_or_Foe__Wii__-_Island_Face_Kick.jpgSpider-Man_Friend_or_Foe__Wii__-_Egypt_Lm_Submission_Hold.jpg

Nintendo Wii

Spider-Man_Friend_or_Foe__360__-_Venom_and_Prowler.jpgSpider-Man_Friend_or_Foe__360__-_Spider-Man_kicks_Venom.jpgSpider-Man_Friend_or_Foe__360__-_Spider-Man_and_Scorpion.jpgSpider-Man_Friend_or_Foe__360__-_Spider-Man_and_Green_Goblin_Tokyo_rooftop.jpg

Microsoft xbox 360

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Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Release Date Announced

Filed under Handheld News, PC News, Xbox, ps3 on August 22nd, 2007

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare will begin deployment to retailers worldwide on November 5. Armed with more than 40 awards and honors from this year’s annual E3 Business and Media Summit including “Best Action Game” from the Game Critics Awards. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare will be available on the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system and Windows PC. A Nintendo DS version will also deliver the signature Call of Duty chaos of battle to handheld gamers.

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THQ’s Drake & Josh: Talent Showdown for Nintendo DS, I Say WTF? WHY!!

Filed under Handheld News on July 30th, 2007

THQ  today announced that Drake & Josh: Talent Showdown for the Nintendo DS has begun shipping to retailers throughout North America. Following the release of Drake & Josh for the Game Boy Advance this spring, the DS game marks the second original release based on the popular live-action Nickelodeon TV series. Drake & Josh: Talent Showdown is rated E for everyone and is now available for a suggested retail price of $29.99.  In Drake & Josh: Talent Showdown, fans of the show can play as all three of their favorite characters — Drake, Josh and Megan. The game follows the title characters as they prepare and compete for the title of “Teen American Talent,” the hottest talent competition abuzz at Belleview High. Players will help Drake win “best musical act,” while helping Josh hone his magic skills. Drake & Josh: Talent Showdown includes humor from the hit TV show and game-play specifically tailored to the Nintendo DS, including all-new guitar-style game-play where players strum strings on the touch-screen with the stylus to help put Drake on the fast lane to stardom. Players will also utilize the stylus to perform dazzling magic tricks.

Did they really make this into a game, or did the world go crazy wile I was sleeping last night? Will game makers continue to put out crap to fill the store shelf’s, or will they at some point say hay lets really try to make a good game?

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Spider-Man: Friend or Foe PreView Screenshots

Filed under Handheld News, PC News, Xbox, ps3, wii on July 26th, 2007

Publisher: Activision, Inc.
Developer: Next Level Games (Xbox 360, Wii, PS2) Artificial Mind & Movement (NDS, PSP) Beenox (PC)
Release Date: Fall 2007
SRP: TBD (Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, PSP, NDS, PC)
ESRB Rating: “E10+” (Everyone 10 and older – Cartoon Violence) – Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, NDS, PC
“RP” (Rating Pending) – PSP

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:
Inspired by the Spider-Man film trilogy and the classic Spider-Man comics, Spider-Man: Friend or Foe challenges players to defeat and then join forces with notorious movie nemeses including Doc Ock, Green Goblin, Venom and Sandman, and embark on an epic quest to overcome a worldwide evil threat. Throughout the game’s original story and thrilling battles, fans control Spider-Man and one of numerous Super Hero or Super Villain sidekicks and master unique fighting moves and styles while switching between characters to execute team combos and defeat foes. For the first time ever in a Spider-Man game, Spider-Man: Friend or Foe features a unique co-op mode in which a friend can join the game at any time and take control of Spider-Man’s sidekick as they battle through the game side-by-side and replay favorite levels.


KEY FEATURES:

Spider-Man: Friend or Foe allows players to choose a sidekick from Spider-Man’s allies – Pick from a long list of Spider-Man’s powerful allies, like Blade and Iron Fist, and swap between the web-slinger and the chosen sidekicks at any time during gameplay. Each sidekick, good or evil, features their own unique attributes and powers that will assist Spider-Man throughout the game’s challenges.

Fight against movie Super Villains and then alongside them in Spider-Man: Friend or Foe – Using an innovative combat system, face off against and defeat some of the Spider-Man movies’ most notorious Super Villains such as Doc Ock, Sandman and Green Goblin, and then convert them to join Spidey’s list of potential sidekicks.

In Spider-Man: Friend or Foe, gamers team up in two-player co-op – A unique co-op mode lets friends join the game at any time and take control of Spider-Man’s sidekick. Playing in two-player co-op mode allows gamers to discover new ways to overcome obstacles and enemies. As players progress through the game, battle arenas are unlocked where raw one-on-one brawling with any Super Hero or Villain can take place at any time.

Come back for more, again and again, with Spider-Man: Friend or Foe – Replay the game or experience Versus mode with a different sidekick and eventually play as Black-Suited Spider-Man (Spidey’s darker, more aggressive persona) featuring unique powers and abilities. Throughout the different worlds, a host of secret areas containing special tokens can be discovered in the first play through, which players can go back and explore at any time. Gamers can also uncover a variety of hidden items scattered throughout the game which unlock collectables, powers and mini-games.

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E3 - Almost 40 New Game Fact Sheets And Still Going

Filed under Featured, Handheld News, PC News, Xbox, ps3, wii on July 11th, 2007

With over 40 Fact Sheets already and E3 2007 is only 2 days old. I have placed the Game Fact Sheets here in one post. I call it “The E3 2007 Game Fact Sheets Roundup” I have gathered together all the Fact sheets I could find and posted them in one place to make looking for the info about your favorite game go much more smooth. Use the navigation links in the posts to make it faster to find what your looking for. Full Story »


E3 - Nintendo Software Release Info

Filed under PC News, wii on July 11th, 2007

Partial list of some upcoming Nintendo DS and Wii titles
Please note that game titles and launch dates are subject to change

Wii Software - Release Date

Big Brain Academy for Wii (Nintendo) 20th July 2007
King Of Clubs (Oxygen Games) 20th July 2007
William Pinball Classics (System 3) July 2007
Transformers The Game (Activision) July 2007
Trauma Center: Second Opinion (Nintendo / Atlus) 10th August 2007
Tamagotchi Party On! (Namco Bandai Games) August 2007
California Games (System 3) August 2007
Alien Syndrome (SEGA) 7th September 2007
Super Paper Mario (Nintendo) 14th September 2007
Dragon Blade: Wrath Of Fire (D3Publisher of Europe) 14th September 2007
World Championship Poker Featuring Howard Lederer: All In Wii (505Games) 21st September 2007
Brunswick Bowling Pro (505Games) September 2007
Cosmic Family (Ubisoft) September 2007
My Word Coach (Ubisoft) September 2007
Ratatouille (THQ) Q3 2007
Toot & Puddle: Call Of The North (Zoo Digital Publishing) Q3 2007
8 Ball All Stars (Oxygen Games) 1st October 2007
C.I.D 925: An Ordinary Life (Oxygen Games) 19th October 2007
Crash Of The Titans (Vivendi Games) 12th October 2007
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Nintendo) 26th October 2007
High School Musical (Disney Interactive Studio) October 2007
Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games (SEGA) October 2007
Spyro: Enter The Night (Vivendi Games) 2nd November 2007
Ben 10 (D3 Publisher of Europe) 30th November 2007
NiGHTS: Journey Of Dreams (SEGA) November 2007
Ferrari Challenge (System 3) November 2007
Forever Blue (tentative title) (Nintendo)
(US title: Endless Ocean) Q4 2007
Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo) Q4 2007
Battalion Wars 2 (Nintendo) Q4 2007
Pokémon Battle Revolution (Nintendo) Q4 2007
Code Lyoko: Quest For Infinity (Game Factory) Q4 2007
Legend Of The Dragon (Game Factory) Q4 2007
Cocoto Funfair (Neko Entertainment) Q4 2007
Sea Monsters (Nat Geo) (Zoo Digital Publishing) Q4 2007
Surf’s Up (Ubisoft) Summer / Autumn 2007
Dewy’s Adventure (Konami) Autumn 2007
Project Treasure Island Z (Capcom) Autumn 2007
Brother In Arms (Ubisoft) Autumn 2007
Horsez (Ubisoft) Autumn 2007
Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 (Ubisoft) Autumn 2007
The Golden Compass (SEGA) Christmas 2007
Resident Evil The Umbrella Chronicles (Capcom) 2007
My Sims (EA) 2007
Wii Fitness (Nintendo) 2008
Mario Kart Wii (tentative title) (Nintendo) 2008
Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Nintendo) 2008

Nintendo DS - Software Release Date
Elite Beat Agents (Nintendo)
13th July 2007
Brain Buster (505Games) 13th July 2007
ANNO 1701 (Disney) 13th July 2007
Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl (Nintendo) 27th July 2007
Transformers The Game: Autobot (Activision) July 2007
Transformers The Game: Decepticon (Activision) July 2007
Guilty Gear Dust Strikers (Majesco / THQ) July 2007
The Settlers (Ubisoft) July 2007
Powershot Pinball Constructor (Oxygen Games) 10th August 2007
Dragonball Z GOKU DENSETSU (Namco Bandi Games) August 2007
California Games (System 3) August 2007
8 Ball All Stars (Oxygen Games) August 2007
Freshly Picked - Tingle’s Rosy Rupeeland (Nintendo) 14th September 2007
Heroes of Mana (Square Enix) 14th September 2007
King of Clubs (Oxygen Games) 21st September 2007
Sonic Rush Adventure (SEGA) 28th September 2007
Cookie & Cream (505Games) September 2007
Fishing DS (505Games) September 2007
Happy Cooking (Ubisoft) September 2007
Jam Sessions TM (Ubisoft) September 2007
Panzer Tactics DS (10Tacle Studios) Q3 2007
Godzilla Unleashed (ATARI) Q3 2007
Cake Mania (Majesco / Eidos) Q3 2007
New York Times Crossword (Majesco / Eidos) Q3 2007
Operation Vietnam (Majesco / Eidos) Q3 2007
Toot & Puddle – An Artic Adventure (Zoo Digital Publishing) Q3 2007
Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights (THQ) Q3 2007
Ratatouille (THQ) Q3 2007
ToonDuko (Majesco / Eidos) Q3 2007
Bratz Ponyz (Game Factory/K.E. Media) Q3 2007
Worms: Open Warfare 2 (THQ) Summer 2007
Race Driver: Create & Race (Codemasters) Summer 2007
Marvel Trading Card Game (Konami) Summer 2007
Crash Of The Titans ’07- DS (Vivendi Games) 12th October 2007
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (Nintendo) 19th October 2007
C.I.D 925: An Ordinary Life (Oxygen Games) 19th October 2007
Ed, Edd n Eddy (D3 Publisher of Europe) 19th October 2007
Donkey Kong Jungle Climber (Nintendo) October 2007
Naruto DS (Nintendo) October 2007
English Training 2 (tentative title) (Nintendo) October 2007
Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games (SEGA) October 2007
Izuna (505 Games) October 2007
High School Musical (Disney Interactive Studio) October 2007
Ball Of Fury (Zoo Digital Publishing) October 2007
Ben 10 (D3 Publisher of Europe) 30th November 2007
Ambidexterity (505 Games) November 2007
Fashion Designer (505 Games) November 2007
I Did It Mum (Boy) (505 Games) November 2007
I Did It Mum (Girl) (505 Games) November 2007
Happy Hippos Auf Weltreise (10 Tackle Studies) November 2007
Ferrari Challenge (System 3) November 2007
Sea Monster (Nat Geo) (Zoo Digital Publishing) November 2007
Mario Party DS (Nintendo) Q4 2007
Vision Training (tentative title) (Nintendo)
(US title: Flash Focus: Vision Training in Minutes a Day) Q4 2007
Advance Wars 2 (Nintendo) Q4 2007
Build A Bear Workshop (Game Factory) Q4 2007
DI-GATA (Game Factory) Q4 2007
Sabrina Magicats (Game Factory) Q4 2007
Brain Buddy (Koch Media) Q4 2007
Meine Tierlinik In Augstralien (Koch Media) Q4 2007
Deviens Miss France (Micro Apps) Q4 2007
Drawn To Life (THQ) Q4 2007
Surf’s Up (Ubisoft) Summer / Autumn 2007
Konami Arcade Classics (Konami) Autumn 2007
Animalz Marine Zoo (Ubisoft) Autumn 2007
Fashion Designer (Ubisoft) Autumn 2007
Horsez 2 (Ubisoft) Autumn 2007
My Word Coach (Ubisoft) Autumn 2007
Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 (Ubisoft) Autumn 2007
Totally Spies 9Ubisoft) Autumn 2007
The Golden Compass (SEGA) Christmas 2007
Boogie (EA) 2007
My Sims (EA) 2007
Code De La Route (Micro Apps) 2007

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